It has been known to determine triglycerides in sera and other substrates by processes as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,178 to Esders and Goodhue, incorporated herein by reference.
The reactions involved are: ##STR1## When oxygen is the electron acceptor, H.sub.2 O.sub.2 is formed as the species for analytical determination in (3), and H.sub.2 O.sub.2 determination is preferably accomplished according to the following reaction: ##STR2## *H.sub.2 A (red)=dye precursor which is the reduced form of the dye A(ox)=dye formed by oxidation of H.sub.2 A
The amount of triglycerides present may be determined in modern technique by measuring the amount of hydrogen peroxide through the use of a suitable chromogen system.
Our preferred chromogen system is based on the use of peroxidase, typically from a horseradish source, a phenol such as p-chlorophenol (pCP), and 4-aminoantipyrene (4AAP), involving the reaction: ##STR3## The intensity of the red quinoneimine formed is measured at 500 nm.
As most assay systems are based on enzymes, the proposed system is prone to rapid degradation. As a consequence, the art early-on lyophilized (freeze-dried) the system for reconstitution at the time of use. Lyophilization is expensive and decreases the accuracy of assay procedures. Lifetime of reconstituted solution is short.